See White Puff Balls Floating Around You? They’re Alive

(KMDL-FM) The next several days across the Gulf South and southern Louisiana in general are going to be very conducive to getting outdoors. The temperatures will still be on the warm side, but the humidity will be down, and the skies should be clear.

That bright blue backdrop and a bit of a breeze out of the north should provide you with the opportunity to notice something you've probably seen several hundred times before. Have you ever noticed when you're outside on an Autumn day in Louisiana, these tiny white puff balls floating by?

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No, these are different than those "floaters" you might see dancing across your field of vision. Those are more a function of age and the vitreous gel in the eye. The floaters we are talking about are white and puffy, and you just might swear they are dandelions. They are far from it.

Residents in states all over the Gulf South have been noticing more and more of the white woolly puff balls in recent weeks, and that has led to some interesting speculation on social media sites.

What Are The White Puff Balls We See Floating in the Sky?

But here is the actual truth, according to the good folks from my hometown of Starkville, Mississippi.

Yeah, the white woolly puffy floating things are actually bugs. I hope you didn't think they were snowflakes and attempt to catch one on your tongue.

The insects have been in the Gulf South for about 30 years. They are an invasive species, so you don't really want them in your yard or garden. And you are like me and don't really want to get out and go chase bugs on your time off, you're in luck. According to the Extension Service at Mississippi State, the best thing you can do for the aphids is nothing.

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Large accumulations of them could create "unsightly curb appeal" for your home. But that will be short-lived, and the aphids don't really do that much damage in the long run. If you just want them gone, you can ask your pesticide specialist what they suggest, or you could just wait a few weeks, and they'll be gone on there on, at least until next time.